The Darkness Within
Chapter 3: An Explanation
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The two boys sat at the kitchen table and watched Jetta rummage through the cabinets, for what was another question. Everyone had changed out of their wet clothes and into and new pair. Riku was in the flaming boxers with a black shirt, while Neron sat across the table from Riku in the smiley-faced boxers and a white shirt. Jetta had put on the boxers with the hearts, since she felt no shame in wearing them, and a red tank top with a white under shirt.
"What are you looking for?" Neron finally asked, after wondering for so long.
"I'm looking for the first aid kit, it's where I keep all of my potions," Jetta answer.
"Shouldn't a first aid kit go in the bathroom?" Riku asked.
"I just think it's more convenient in the kitchen," Jetta answered, "If you get hurt out side you just come in here and grab the kit since this is the first room you enter."
"But what if you hurt yourself in your bedroom, then you have to go all the way through your apartment to reach it," Neron said.
"My apartment's not that big," Jetta said, you could tell by her tone she was getting frustrated, "Damn it, where'd I put it!"
"Well, I'm sure we all know that if it was a bad injury you'd most likely die before you found the kit," Riku spat receiving a small chuckle from Neron.
"Bit me, Riku!"
"Hey Neron, can I ask you something?" Riku asked.
"Sure."
"How did you get those weapons?"
"They just kind of appeared outta nowhere."
"That's odd," Jetta commented.
"When did you get them?" Riku asked.
"Yesterday... at least I think it was yesterday..." Neron trailed off as he tried to remember.
"I found him unconscious in an alley on the east side of town before those strange things-"
"Heartless."
"What?" They both asked.
"That's what the creatures are called," Riku answered, "They're named that because they have no heart, so they steal them from other people." Riku paused before he looked across the table at Neron, "Are you from around here?"
"No, I've never seen this place in my life. It's like-"
"A whole different world?" Riku finished.
"...Yeah."
"Where are you from?"
"Twilight Town," Neron answered.
"Never heard of it," Jetta said already forgetting that she was looking for the first aid kit.
"Before you woke up here, did your town start to get over-run by the heartless?"
"Yeah, how'd you know?"
"And when the heartless came that's when you also got your weapons?"
"Yeah, what are you? Some kind of psychic?"
"No, the very same thing happened to me," Riku said as he looked away, "Your weapons, they have a name. Do you know it?"
"No."
"It's a Keyblade."
"Keyblade..." Neron repeated as he stared down at the wooden table in concentration.
"I'm guessing you don't know what kind of powers it has either then, do you?"
"No."
"It holds the power to defeat the heartless, and they'll do anything to take that away from you. They'll come after it out of nowhere, no matter where you are, even if they get destroyed during the process."
"They don't sound very smart," Jetta said.
"Trust me, they're not as stupid as they sound. I've seen what they're capable of."
"How do you know so much about them?" Jetta asked.
"Well, when you're locked up with them for around a year you can't help but learn about them."
"A year!" Neron and Jetta shouted with surprise.
"How did you survive?" Jetta added.
"It's a long story."
"I've got time." Riku let out a low sigh.
"I got trapped behind this door, it's called Kingdom Hearts. Behind this door is the world where darkness begins, it's where it lives, and grows. You could say it's the home to the heartless. I couldn't get out because only darkness can pass through the doors, so when my friend closed the door I was trapped."
"Did he know he closed you in?" Jetta asked.
"Yes, I told him to," Riku said, "If he didn't then the heartless would escape."
"But... how did you survive for a year? Wouldn't you need food and water? Was there even anything behind the door?" Neron asked.
"That's the worst part about that place. You don't need to eat, drink, or even sleep in that world. It's like the darkness itself is feeding you, keeping you alive just to let you wander in darkness forever. There's no light, and I doubt there's even an exit. All you could do was search in complete darkness for some way out. If I was alone then I'm sure I would have killed myself, or gone crazy, either one."
"Someone was with you?"
"Yeah, King Mickey, or if he told you other wise, just Mickey," Riku said, "He had a Keyblade too, but just one."
"A King... Wow! So where is he now? Did he have to go back to his castle, or something like that?" Jetta asked.
"No, I was taken from Kingdom Hearts by some strange man, and Mickey... was left behind I guess," Riku said as he lowered his head.
"Is that why you're so banged up? I know it wasn't from fighting the heartless just a little while ago," Neron said, "You've got some awesome fighting skills." Riku smirked as he lifted his head.
"Yeah, it's from him," Riku said as he glanced over at Jetta, "Not to be rude, but aren't you supposed to be looking for something?"
"Oh yeah!" Jetta hopped off the counter and started to look through the lower cabinets.
"Do my Keyblades do anything else besides fighting the heartless off?" Neron asked.
"Yes, as a matter of fact they do," Riku said as his gaze switched to Neron, "The Keyblade can open any locked door or chest you may come across, hence the word 'key' in Keyblade. It also locks the Keyholes."
"Keyholes?"
"Every world has a Keyhole, it's like a gate way to the center of the world. That's where the world's heart lies. Every world has one." Neron blinked a few times as he gave Riku a confused look.
"You lost me."
"I thought so," Riku slightly laughed.
"Found it!" Jetta shouted, "It was in a pot. Could you believe that?"
"Yep," Neron said. Jetta glared at him as she sat the first aid kit on the table.
"You're going last," Jetta spat before she looked over at Riku, "What's all this talk about other worlds?"
"I really shouldn't have said anything, but there are other worlds besides this one," Riku said.
"Shouldn't have said anything... What do you mean?" Jetta asked as she opened the box.
"All I really know is that the worlds aren't supposed to be connected and when the heartless are on the run they become connected. If other people knew about the other worlds then they might want to go and see them, and it's not good to mix people from different worlds together," Riku said as he tried to explain, but even he didn't understand it to well.
"Okay... so are you planning on going to the other worlds while they're connected?" Jetta asked.
"I have to... well, more like Neron has to."
"What? Why me?" Neron asked.
"You have the Keyblades. You need to seal the Keyholes so the heartless won't destroy the world. Like I said before the Keyhole is the connection to the center of the world and if you don't seal it before the heartless find it the world will be destroyed. My friend had to do the same thing." Riku said as he looked away.
"Well, your friend did it before, he can do it again." Neron spat.
"What if he's not around to do it this time? It'll be you're fault that countless worlds are destroyed! Do you want that pined against you?" Riku didn't like what he had said, and knew that his spiky-haired friend was out there somewhere, he just didn't know exactly where. In case of the event that he really wasn't around, he needed to make sure that Neron would be where help was needed.
"You know so much about this then you go do it!" Neron yelled as he tossed the Keyblades at him, but as soon as Riku caught them they reappeared back into Neron's hands.
"The Keyblades have already chosen its master," Riku said as Neron stared down at his Keyblades in amazement, "And that master is you." Riku sighed as he shook his head, sure he was a Keyblade master as well, but apparently Neron's heart was stronger.
"B-but... how?" Neron stammered in complete shock.
"You're lucky in a way. You've got the greatest weapons of all, but with that comes a great responsibility, the heartless. I had the chance to have that power, but I blew it by picking the wrong side at the wrong time." Riku sighed, leaning back in his chair, "I lived on a little island out in the middle of the ocean with a few friends, two that were really close to me, and we would always wonder if there were other worlds around us. My world was soon destroyed by the heartless, and I chose to be taken by darkness, claming I wasn't afraid." Riku stopped, but the look in his eyes said he wasn't finished.
"It was that very moment when darkness was taking me and my best friend, Sora, that the Keyblade would chose its master. I was willing to give up my way of life to see other places, but I guess Sora didn't and started to fight his way out of the darkness. I was the real Keyblade master, but by choosing darkness it chose Sora instead. I learned later on that the Keyblade also searches for the one with the strongest heart, and when I found that out it made me feel extremely weak. I think that's why it bothered me so much that Sora got the Keyblade and I didn't." Riku let out a heavy sigh as he sat up strait and slightly shook his head. He had let his thoughts drift and wasn't talking to them anymore, "Sorry about that. I kind of strayed from the conversation."
"So you're telling me that you're a Keyblade master too?" Neron asked.
"To an extent yes, but I'm not really one since I don't have a Keyblade of my own," Riku lied. He knew he had one, but who in their right mind would ever want to clam a Keyblade that opened the darkness in anyone's heart. Riku sure as hell didn't want to be that person.
"So where's Sora now?" Jetta asked.
"...I don't know."
~~~~~~~~
"Donald!" Daisy gasped. She couldn't believe that Donald had returned, and not just him, Goofy too, "Is it really you, Donald?"
"The one and only," He quaked. Daisy was on the verge of tears as she ran into his arms, knocking him flat on his back. Goofy chuckled along with another person standing behind him.
"It's nice to see that you have returned safely," Queen Minnie said, walking up to them, "Is this the Keyblade master that I have heard so much about?"
"Yep... I mean yes, you're Majesty." Goofy said as he took a bow. Sora stepped out from behind Goofy and smiled warmly at the queen taking a clumsy looking bow as well. Over the one-year period of time the spiky-haired boy had grown a lot, even his hair had turned a few lighter shades of brown. He still wore his red jumpsuit with the blue pullover jacket, but since he had grown they had become a little too small for him. Not only that but they where torn and ragged from the many battles he had been in.
His bright blue eyes started to scan the room in amazement as he stared up at the tall ceiling above him. With his mouth agape he continued to look around, that is until Donald cleared his throat roughly, catching the boy's attention. Sora's eyes feel on Donald's feathered finger that was pointing at the Queen. When Sora fallowed his finger he found that the Queen was trying to hand him the letter.
"I think this belongs to you."
"Oh!" He exclaimed, taking the letter, "Sorry about that."
"It's quite alright," Queen Minnie said with a warm smile.
"That… silly dog-"
"Pluto," Donald corrected.
"Right, Pluto took it from me," Sora said as he scratched the back of his head while cramming the letter into his pocket. Sora began to look around the room again as he started to wander off to look at the large thrown.
"Donald?" Queen Minnie whispered as she leaned over towards him, "The boy seems a little distracted, is this how he always is?" Donald shook his head and frowned.
"Something happened after we sealed the door. He began to lose his memory the longer we stayed on this strange remote world. Slowly day after day he'd forget more and more things, he eventually got to the point where he forgot who we were, and even his own name," Donald explained.
"We've been tryin' to help him regain his memory, but nothin' seems to ring a bell in his head," Goofy said, "He's regained a little about Ansem and the heartless, but that's about it. We're the only people he can remember."
"We'd like to help him more but we don't know what his world was like, or his other friends," Donald sighed, "All we could tell him was that he lived on an island."
"That's horrible! The poor boy, it must be so hard," Daisy sighed as she looked over towards Sora's direction to find him playing with Pluto.
"Sora?" The Queen said, getting the boy's attention, "Did you read that letter?"
"Yeah," Sora said as he pulled it out of his pocket, "But it didn't really make much since to me." Sora frowned as he looked down at the red carpet below him, obviously frustrated.
"I'm sure if I could remember more then it would make more since," Sora sighed, and the room fell silent for a moment or two before he spoke up again, "Keyblade master... Donald and Goofy keep telling me that's what I am, but I don't know what that is. Every time it's explained to me I just get more and more confused."
"What about your Keyblade? Surely you have it with you." Sora simply shrugged his shoulders at the Queen, as if not understanding.
"He doesn't remember how to summon it since he doesn't know what it is," Donald explained.
"Oh, well, I hate to change the subject so abruptly, but how did you get here?" The Queen asked.
"We still had our Gummi blocks so we decided to build ourselves another ship, but with Kingdom Hearts closed the worlds weren't supposed to be connected," Donald quaked.
"But before we left we started to see heartless, and with Sora out of commission we had to leave fast," Goofy added, "We knew since the heartless were around we could leave."
"We're starting to believe that maybe we didn't really close Kingdom Hearts, but that would be imposable, right?" Donald continued after he shook his head in frustration, "If you read the note it says there's another Keyblade master. We though maybe the King was talking about that one boy... Riku was it?" Goofy thought for a moment and then gave the duck a head nod, still not sure if that was his name.
"One of the friends Sora was lookin' for, but he can't remember him either, can you?" Sora solemnly shook his head no; disappointed that he couldn't even remember one of his own friends.
"Then again, it could be someone entirely different," Donald added with a quake.
"We stopped by to pick up a few Gummi ship parts," Goofy said.
"Like a gun," Donald sighed, "You never realize how much you need that thing until you don't have one. I'm surprised we made it here in one piece."
"Well, I hope we have one." Daisy stated.
"What do you mean?" Goofy asked.
"We kind of sent someone to look for you guys. We gave him most of the supplies." Daisy said, "We sent him off three days ago because we saw a star disappear that night. That's when we started to get worried."
"Who did you send?" Donald asked not knowing anyone at the castle in mind.
"Max." Queen Minnie answered.
"... My Max?" Goofy asked a bit surprised.
"Yes. He didn't really want to go at first, but he finally decided to after Chip and Dale gave him a list of things to do." Queen Minnie said with a small smile.
"That's Max for you," Donald sighed, rubbing his temples in frustration.
"...Who's Max?" Sora asked out of curiosity, felling a bit left out, then again he was feeling like that a lot lately.
"My son," Goofy answered.
"Really?" Sora was slightly surprised, he had no clue Goofy had a son, of course he didn't know a lot of things now, "Is he a knight like you?"
"No, he's not much of a fighter, but he's the best Gummi ship repairman there is. I'm surprised Chip and Dale let him go," Goofy said.
"He's a repairman? What's he supposed to do hit the heartless with a wrench?" Sora asked slightly surprised.
"He can do magic," Daisy answered, "Donald taught him."
"He wasn't good at it, but at least it's something," Donald said. Sora didn't really think it was something if he wasn't good at it, but what's done is done, and he couldn't change that. He just hoped this Max person wouldn't be getting into to much danger.
"We should go find him," Sora proclaimed, "Don't want him getting hurt on our behalf."
"True," Donald said, "We'll get the Gummi Ship into tip top shape in no time."
~~~~~~~~
"If your world was destroyed after the heartless came, then does that mean my world's gone as well?" Neron asked as he swirled a glowing lime green liquid around in a bottle, almost afraid of what Riku's answer would be.
"I wouldn't doubt it," Riku said after he drank a hi-potion in one swallow. His cuts slowly faded away and his black eye returned to normal. He felt extremely better after this, but that one potion wasn't enough; his shoulders and back were still hurting pretty bad.
"Why would they want to destroy a world?" Jetta asked before she drank a potion to cure herself.
"...Well, we all know humans have hearts... but would you believe the world has one too?"
"Really?"
"Yeah. It doesn't matter where the heart comes from to them, just as long as it's a heart."
"Well, at least we know they're not picky," Jetta stated.
"That's why you need to seal the Keyholes. The heart is in the center of the world, and when a heartless get that... it's over," Riku said.
"And how do you suggest we go to other worlds?" Neron asked. Riku looked down at the table with a low sigh he didn't want to tell them he had dark powers. He didn't want to start using his powers again anyway. He was afraid that if he'd get to attached to them then he'd get pulled back into darkness, so he answered the best he could.
"We'll need a ship built from gummi blocks." Riku got a strange look from both of them.
"Gummi blocks?" Jetta asked.
"Yes, it's some kind of strange substance that allows you to drive through space to other worlds," Riku said as he pondered for a moment, "I once heard that the blocks where made out of pieces from the wall that keeps the worlds separated. It makes since when you think about it because it's an outer world substance so a ship made from it should allow you to travel through space, right?" Jetta smiled and gave Riku a head nod, letting him know she understood.
"And how are we going to find these... gummi blocks?" Neron asked.
"...Well, that's a very good question. One that I can't answer at the moment." Both Jetta and Neron sighed.
"Let me get this strait, you two are going to leave this world and go to others?" Jetta asked, as if trying to convince herself.
"Yes... once we find a way of course." Riku said.
"Take me with you."
"What?" Riku asked, slightly surprised.
"Please, I want off this world so bad. You don't know what it's like living in this dull place all of your life. It's the same thing day in and day out and I can't take it anymore. Please take me with you," Jetta begged.
"I'm sorry, but we cant."
"I'll be good, I wont tell the people there that we're from another world. I can keep secrets very well," Jetta continued to beg.
"I'm sorry, but no."
"Why not?"
"Because..."
"Because why?" Jetta asked getting extremely angry with him because he wouldn't give her a strait and to the point answer.
"Because you're annoying," Neron spat.
"Not half as annoying as you!" Jetta yelled.
"Look I'll think about it okay," Riku said, trying to stop them from fighting anymore.
"There's nothing to think about. I'm the Keyblade master, making me in charge, so I say you can't come." Neron said as he glared at her, but she just glared back. Obviously Riku hadn't stopped the fight like he planed.
"Give an arrogant jerk power and he becomes the almighty ass with a big ego," Jetta spat.
"Better a jerk than a little annoying brat."
"If you want to sleep in a nice, warm, dry house then I suggest you shut up and leave me alone!" Jetta yelled, "And if you don't drink that potion I'll shove it down your throat myself. It's not poisoned, so stop acting like it is!" Neron growled as he drank the potion and sat the bottle down on the table. Both boys were extremely silent and though they didn't want to say it, they were frightened of her at the moment.
"Are you going to take me or what?" Jetta asked as she tapped her foot impatiently. They were silent a moment longer before Riku got brave enough to speak.
"No means no Jetta," Riku said calmly, trying his best not to make it sound so harsh.
"Fine, you leave me with no other choice," Jetta said as she crossed her arms, "If you don't take me then I'll just have to tell as many people as I can about the other worlds and about these gummi blocks so they can go there."
"You wouldn't?" Riku asked, knowing that the face she was giving him was one hundred percent serious.
"Why wouldn't I?" Jetta asked.
"But that's blackmail!" Neron shouted.
"Tough" Jetta shouted, "You said I was a little annoying brat, so I'm going to be one until you agree on taking me. But be warned now, if you only agree to get me to shut up and leave me behind later on the price will be very painful, and trust me I can do painful."
"Oh really?" Neron said with a bit of smug confidence in his voice. Jetta walked over to him and held her hand out in front of his face. In an instant her hand lit on fire scaring Neron out of his mind as he tried to back away, but only succeeded in falling backwards in his chair. He landed with a thump and it took Riku a lot to stop himself from laughing at the poor boy.
"Okay, you can come," Riku said.
"Really?" Jetta asked in a non-believing tone.
"Sure, you've got a pretty cool talent, could come in handy during battles," Riku answered. Jetta's smile turned into a grin as she ran over a hugged Riku giggling happily.
"Thank you Riku!"
"Jetta, ow... that hurts," Riku said as he tried to ignore the pain that was surging from his back.
"Riku, are you still hurt?" Jetta asked as she pulled away quickly.
"A little."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Neron pulled himself up off the floor and glared at Riku from across the table. Riku could tell he was extremely pissed at him for letting Jetta come along, but he knew that this strange girl had some good fighting talent, and would be a big help against the heartless later on. Neron just didn't see that in her, or he was just afraid to admit it out loud.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author: Wow! I amaze myself at how long this chapter was. I'm so proud. ^-^ Oh and thank you so much Inuyasha's apprentice, I was actually thinking I was spelling things right. Kinda scared me cause I know I'm bad at spelling, LOL. It'd really help, a ton, if you'd tell me what I spelled wrong cause normally I don't catch my own mistakes.
Riku: I thought as much. This whole story's a mistake.
Sora: Now that wasn't very nice.
Author: ...Sora? o.O Where did you... *Glares at Riku*
Riku: *Smirks* Apparently Squaresoft doesn't give a shit about me, so I decided to bring Sora out here. That way you'll get in even more trouble.
Random person: Do you own Sora?
Author: *Glares* Did I not make it perfectly clear in the first chapter-
Riku: Prolog.
Author: Whatever! That I do not, I repeat, DO NOT own Kingdome Hearts. That includes Sora, Riku, or anyone else that Riku decides to drag to my house.
Riku: Does this mean I can invite more people over?
Author: Hell no!
Sora: *Whispering to the Random person* I think she's a little mad, so I'd be leaving if I where you. Girls are pretty scary when they're mad. *Random person flees the room*
Author: So anyway it looks like I got three new reviewers, cool. I suggest to anyone who happens to come along to go and check out the stories of both Inuyasha's assistant, and Mizutaka. I'd tell them to go look at your stories animefreak321654, but you don't seem to have any at the moment, but that's okay, I love ya anyway for the wonderful review. *Grins* Anyway, they've got some real good ones, and I mean real good ones, with Riku.
Riku: I feel so special.
Author: By the way, while it's still fresh in my head, the whole Sora losing his memory is something I read about on some website... forgot which one it was. If I remember I'll tell ya. So anyway, it said he loses his memory in the "Chain of Memories" game coming out on the GBA. I thought it would be fun to toss in that and have a little fun with Sora restoring his memory. *Grins*
Sora: Should I be worried? *Riku nods his head*
Author: *Sighs* Well, it looks like I've got to deal with not one, but two people now. *Mumbles* At least Sora's nice. Anyway, thanks a ton for the reviews you wonderful people. I hope to hear from you all again soon. ^-^
Sora: Have a nice day! *Waves as he bounces on Demon's bed*
Chapter 3: An Explanation
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The two boys sat at the kitchen table and watched Jetta rummage through the cabinets, for what was another question. Everyone had changed out of their wet clothes and into and new pair. Riku was in the flaming boxers with a black shirt, while Neron sat across the table from Riku in the smiley-faced boxers and a white shirt. Jetta had put on the boxers with the hearts, since she felt no shame in wearing them, and a red tank top with a white under shirt.
"What are you looking for?" Neron finally asked, after wondering for so long.
"I'm looking for the first aid kit, it's where I keep all of my potions," Jetta answer.
"Shouldn't a first aid kit go in the bathroom?" Riku asked.
"I just think it's more convenient in the kitchen," Jetta answered, "If you get hurt out side you just come in here and grab the kit since this is the first room you enter."
"But what if you hurt yourself in your bedroom, then you have to go all the way through your apartment to reach it," Neron said.
"My apartment's not that big," Jetta said, you could tell by her tone she was getting frustrated, "Damn it, where'd I put it!"
"Well, I'm sure we all know that if it was a bad injury you'd most likely die before you found the kit," Riku spat receiving a small chuckle from Neron.
"Bit me, Riku!"
"Hey Neron, can I ask you something?" Riku asked.
"Sure."
"How did you get those weapons?"
"They just kind of appeared outta nowhere."
"That's odd," Jetta commented.
"When did you get them?" Riku asked.
"Yesterday... at least I think it was yesterday..." Neron trailed off as he tried to remember.
"I found him unconscious in an alley on the east side of town before those strange things-"
"Heartless."
"What?" They both asked.
"That's what the creatures are called," Riku answered, "They're named that because they have no heart, so they steal them from other people." Riku paused before he looked across the table at Neron, "Are you from around here?"
"No, I've never seen this place in my life. It's like-"
"A whole different world?" Riku finished.
"...Yeah."
"Where are you from?"
"Twilight Town," Neron answered.
"Never heard of it," Jetta said already forgetting that she was looking for the first aid kit.
"Before you woke up here, did your town start to get over-run by the heartless?"
"Yeah, how'd you know?"
"And when the heartless came that's when you also got your weapons?"
"Yeah, what are you? Some kind of psychic?"
"No, the very same thing happened to me," Riku said as he looked away, "Your weapons, they have a name. Do you know it?"
"No."
"It's a Keyblade."
"Keyblade..." Neron repeated as he stared down at the wooden table in concentration.
"I'm guessing you don't know what kind of powers it has either then, do you?"
"No."
"It holds the power to defeat the heartless, and they'll do anything to take that away from you. They'll come after it out of nowhere, no matter where you are, even if they get destroyed during the process."
"They don't sound very smart," Jetta said.
"Trust me, they're not as stupid as they sound. I've seen what they're capable of."
"How do you know so much about them?" Jetta asked.
"Well, when you're locked up with them for around a year you can't help but learn about them."
"A year!" Neron and Jetta shouted with surprise.
"How did you survive?" Jetta added.
"It's a long story."
"I've got time." Riku let out a low sigh.
"I got trapped behind this door, it's called Kingdom Hearts. Behind this door is the world where darkness begins, it's where it lives, and grows. You could say it's the home to the heartless. I couldn't get out because only darkness can pass through the doors, so when my friend closed the door I was trapped."
"Did he know he closed you in?" Jetta asked.
"Yes, I told him to," Riku said, "If he didn't then the heartless would escape."
"But... how did you survive for a year? Wouldn't you need food and water? Was there even anything behind the door?" Neron asked.
"That's the worst part about that place. You don't need to eat, drink, or even sleep in that world. It's like the darkness itself is feeding you, keeping you alive just to let you wander in darkness forever. There's no light, and I doubt there's even an exit. All you could do was search in complete darkness for some way out. If I was alone then I'm sure I would have killed myself, or gone crazy, either one."
"Someone was with you?"
"Yeah, King Mickey, or if he told you other wise, just Mickey," Riku said, "He had a Keyblade too, but just one."
"A King... Wow! So where is he now? Did he have to go back to his castle, or something like that?" Jetta asked.
"No, I was taken from Kingdom Hearts by some strange man, and Mickey... was left behind I guess," Riku said as he lowered his head.
"Is that why you're so banged up? I know it wasn't from fighting the heartless just a little while ago," Neron said, "You've got some awesome fighting skills." Riku smirked as he lifted his head.
"Yeah, it's from him," Riku said as he glanced over at Jetta, "Not to be rude, but aren't you supposed to be looking for something?"
"Oh yeah!" Jetta hopped off the counter and started to look through the lower cabinets.
"Do my Keyblades do anything else besides fighting the heartless off?" Neron asked.
"Yes, as a matter of fact they do," Riku said as his gaze switched to Neron, "The Keyblade can open any locked door or chest you may come across, hence the word 'key' in Keyblade. It also locks the Keyholes."
"Keyholes?"
"Every world has a Keyhole, it's like a gate way to the center of the world. That's where the world's heart lies. Every world has one." Neron blinked a few times as he gave Riku a confused look.
"You lost me."
"I thought so," Riku slightly laughed.
"Found it!" Jetta shouted, "It was in a pot. Could you believe that?"
"Yep," Neron said. Jetta glared at him as she sat the first aid kit on the table.
"You're going last," Jetta spat before she looked over at Riku, "What's all this talk about other worlds?"
"I really shouldn't have said anything, but there are other worlds besides this one," Riku said.
"Shouldn't have said anything... What do you mean?" Jetta asked as she opened the box.
"All I really know is that the worlds aren't supposed to be connected and when the heartless are on the run they become connected. If other people knew about the other worlds then they might want to go and see them, and it's not good to mix people from different worlds together," Riku said as he tried to explain, but even he didn't understand it to well.
"Okay... so are you planning on going to the other worlds while they're connected?" Jetta asked.
"I have to... well, more like Neron has to."
"What? Why me?" Neron asked.
"You have the Keyblades. You need to seal the Keyholes so the heartless won't destroy the world. Like I said before the Keyhole is the connection to the center of the world and if you don't seal it before the heartless find it the world will be destroyed. My friend had to do the same thing." Riku said as he looked away.
"Well, your friend did it before, he can do it again." Neron spat.
"What if he's not around to do it this time? It'll be you're fault that countless worlds are destroyed! Do you want that pined against you?" Riku didn't like what he had said, and knew that his spiky-haired friend was out there somewhere, he just didn't know exactly where. In case of the event that he really wasn't around, he needed to make sure that Neron would be where help was needed.
"You know so much about this then you go do it!" Neron yelled as he tossed the Keyblades at him, but as soon as Riku caught them they reappeared back into Neron's hands.
"The Keyblades have already chosen its master," Riku said as Neron stared down at his Keyblades in amazement, "And that master is you." Riku sighed as he shook his head, sure he was a Keyblade master as well, but apparently Neron's heart was stronger.
"B-but... how?" Neron stammered in complete shock.
"You're lucky in a way. You've got the greatest weapons of all, but with that comes a great responsibility, the heartless. I had the chance to have that power, but I blew it by picking the wrong side at the wrong time." Riku sighed, leaning back in his chair, "I lived on a little island out in the middle of the ocean with a few friends, two that were really close to me, and we would always wonder if there were other worlds around us. My world was soon destroyed by the heartless, and I chose to be taken by darkness, claming I wasn't afraid." Riku stopped, but the look in his eyes said he wasn't finished.
"It was that very moment when darkness was taking me and my best friend, Sora, that the Keyblade would chose its master. I was willing to give up my way of life to see other places, but I guess Sora didn't and started to fight his way out of the darkness. I was the real Keyblade master, but by choosing darkness it chose Sora instead. I learned later on that the Keyblade also searches for the one with the strongest heart, and when I found that out it made me feel extremely weak. I think that's why it bothered me so much that Sora got the Keyblade and I didn't." Riku let out a heavy sigh as he sat up strait and slightly shook his head. He had let his thoughts drift and wasn't talking to them anymore, "Sorry about that. I kind of strayed from the conversation."
"So you're telling me that you're a Keyblade master too?" Neron asked.
"To an extent yes, but I'm not really one since I don't have a Keyblade of my own," Riku lied. He knew he had one, but who in their right mind would ever want to clam a Keyblade that opened the darkness in anyone's heart. Riku sure as hell didn't want to be that person.
"So where's Sora now?" Jetta asked.
"...I don't know."
~~~~~~~~
"Donald!" Daisy gasped. She couldn't believe that Donald had returned, and not just him, Goofy too, "Is it really you, Donald?"
"The one and only," He quaked. Daisy was on the verge of tears as she ran into his arms, knocking him flat on his back. Goofy chuckled along with another person standing behind him.
"It's nice to see that you have returned safely," Queen Minnie said, walking up to them, "Is this the Keyblade master that I have heard so much about?"
"Yep... I mean yes, you're Majesty." Goofy said as he took a bow. Sora stepped out from behind Goofy and smiled warmly at the queen taking a clumsy looking bow as well. Over the one-year period of time the spiky-haired boy had grown a lot, even his hair had turned a few lighter shades of brown. He still wore his red jumpsuit with the blue pullover jacket, but since he had grown they had become a little too small for him. Not only that but they where torn and ragged from the many battles he had been in.
His bright blue eyes started to scan the room in amazement as he stared up at the tall ceiling above him. With his mouth agape he continued to look around, that is until Donald cleared his throat roughly, catching the boy's attention. Sora's eyes feel on Donald's feathered finger that was pointing at the Queen. When Sora fallowed his finger he found that the Queen was trying to hand him the letter.
"I think this belongs to you."
"Oh!" He exclaimed, taking the letter, "Sorry about that."
"It's quite alright," Queen Minnie said with a warm smile.
"That… silly dog-"
"Pluto," Donald corrected.
"Right, Pluto took it from me," Sora said as he scratched the back of his head while cramming the letter into his pocket. Sora began to look around the room again as he started to wander off to look at the large thrown.
"Donald?" Queen Minnie whispered as she leaned over towards him, "The boy seems a little distracted, is this how he always is?" Donald shook his head and frowned.
"Something happened after we sealed the door. He began to lose his memory the longer we stayed on this strange remote world. Slowly day after day he'd forget more and more things, he eventually got to the point where he forgot who we were, and even his own name," Donald explained.
"We've been tryin' to help him regain his memory, but nothin' seems to ring a bell in his head," Goofy said, "He's regained a little about Ansem and the heartless, but that's about it. We're the only people he can remember."
"We'd like to help him more but we don't know what his world was like, or his other friends," Donald sighed, "All we could tell him was that he lived on an island."
"That's horrible! The poor boy, it must be so hard," Daisy sighed as she looked over towards Sora's direction to find him playing with Pluto.
"Sora?" The Queen said, getting the boy's attention, "Did you read that letter?"
"Yeah," Sora said as he pulled it out of his pocket, "But it didn't really make much since to me." Sora frowned as he looked down at the red carpet below him, obviously frustrated.
"I'm sure if I could remember more then it would make more since," Sora sighed, and the room fell silent for a moment or two before he spoke up again, "Keyblade master... Donald and Goofy keep telling me that's what I am, but I don't know what that is. Every time it's explained to me I just get more and more confused."
"What about your Keyblade? Surely you have it with you." Sora simply shrugged his shoulders at the Queen, as if not understanding.
"He doesn't remember how to summon it since he doesn't know what it is," Donald explained.
"Oh, well, I hate to change the subject so abruptly, but how did you get here?" The Queen asked.
"We still had our Gummi blocks so we decided to build ourselves another ship, but with Kingdom Hearts closed the worlds weren't supposed to be connected," Donald quaked.
"But before we left we started to see heartless, and with Sora out of commission we had to leave fast," Goofy added, "We knew since the heartless were around we could leave."
"We're starting to believe that maybe we didn't really close Kingdom Hearts, but that would be imposable, right?" Donald continued after he shook his head in frustration, "If you read the note it says there's another Keyblade master. We though maybe the King was talking about that one boy... Riku was it?" Goofy thought for a moment and then gave the duck a head nod, still not sure if that was his name.
"One of the friends Sora was lookin' for, but he can't remember him either, can you?" Sora solemnly shook his head no; disappointed that he couldn't even remember one of his own friends.
"Then again, it could be someone entirely different," Donald added with a quake.
"We stopped by to pick up a few Gummi ship parts," Goofy said.
"Like a gun," Donald sighed, "You never realize how much you need that thing until you don't have one. I'm surprised we made it here in one piece."
"Well, I hope we have one." Daisy stated.
"What do you mean?" Goofy asked.
"We kind of sent someone to look for you guys. We gave him most of the supplies." Daisy said, "We sent him off three days ago because we saw a star disappear that night. That's when we started to get worried."
"Who did you send?" Donald asked not knowing anyone at the castle in mind.
"Max." Queen Minnie answered.
"... My Max?" Goofy asked a bit surprised.
"Yes. He didn't really want to go at first, but he finally decided to after Chip and Dale gave him a list of things to do." Queen Minnie said with a small smile.
"That's Max for you," Donald sighed, rubbing his temples in frustration.
"...Who's Max?" Sora asked out of curiosity, felling a bit left out, then again he was feeling like that a lot lately.
"My son," Goofy answered.
"Really?" Sora was slightly surprised, he had no clue Goofy had a son, of course he didn't know a lot of things now, "Is he a knight like you?"
"No, he's not much of a fighter, but he's the best Gummi ship repairman there is. I'm surprised Chip and Dale let him go," Goofy said.
"He's a repairman? What's he supposed to do hit the heartless with a wrench?" Sora asked slightly surprised.
"He can do magic," Daisy answered, "Donald taught him."
"He wasn't good at it, but at least it's something," Donald said. Sora didn't really think it was something if he wasn't good at it, but what's done is done, and he couldn't change that. He just hoped this Max person wouldn't be getting into to much danger.
"We should go find him," Sora proclaimed, "Don't want him getting hurt on our behalf."
"True," Donald said, "We'll get the Gummi Ship into tip top shape in no time."
~~~~~~~~
"If your world was destroyed after the heartless came, then does that mean my world's gone as well?" Neron asked as he swirled a glowing lime green liquid around in a bottle, almost afraid of what Riku's answer would be.
"I wouldn't doubt it," Riku said after he drank a hi-potion in one swallow. His cuts slowly faded away and his black eye returned to normal. He felt extremely better after this, but that one potion wasn't enough; his shoulders and back were still hurting pretty bad.
"Why would they want to destroy a world?" Jetta asked before she drank a potion to cure herself.
"...Well, we all know humans have hearts... but would you believe the world has one too?"
"Really?"
"Yeah. It doesn't matter where the heart comes from to them, just as long as it's a heart."
"Well, at least we know they're not picky," Jetta stated.
"That's why you need to seal the Keyholes. The heart is in the center of the world, and when a heartless get that... it's over," Riku said.
"And how do you suggest we go to other worlds?" Neron asked. Riku looked down at the table with a low sigh he didn't want to tell them he had dark powers. He didn't want to start using his powers again anyway. He was afraid that if he'd get to attached to them then he'd get pulled back into darkness, so he answered the best he could.
"We'll need a ship built from gummi blocks." Riku got a strange look from both of them.
"Gummi blocks?" Jetta asked.
"Yes, it's some kind of strange substance that allows you to drive through space to other worlds," Riku said as he pondered for a moment, "I once heard that the blocks where made out of pieces from the wall that keeps the worlds separated. It makes since when you think about it because it's an outer world substance so a ship made from it should allow you to travel through space, right?" Jetta smiled and gave Riku a head nod, letting him know she understood.
"And how are we going to find these... gummi blocks?" Neron asked.
"...Well, that's a very good question. One that I can't answer at the moment." Both Jetta and Neron sighed.
"Let me get this strait, you two are going to leave this world and go to others?" Jetta asked, as if trying to convince herself.
"Yes... once we find a way of course." Riku said.
"Take me with you."
"What?" Riku asked, slightly surprised.
"Please, I want off this world so bad. You don't know what it's like living in this dull place all of your life. It's the same thing day in and day out and I can't take it anymore. Please take me with you," Jetta begged.
"I'm sorry, but we cant."
"I'll be good, I wont tell the people there that we're from another world. I can keep secrets very well," Jetta continued to beg.
"I'm sorry, but no."
"Why not?"
"Because..."
"Because why?" Jetta asked getting extremely angry with him because he wouldn't give her a strait and to the point answer.
"Because you're annoying," Neron spat.
"Not half as annoying as you!" Jetta yelled.
"Look I'll think about it okay," Riku said, trying to stop them from fighting anymore.
"There's nothing to think about. I'm the Keyblade master, making me in charge, so I say you can't come." Neron said as he glared at her, but she just glared back. Obviously Riku hadn't stopped the fight like he planed.
"Give an arrogant jerk power and he becomes the almighty ass with a big ego," Jetta spat.
"Better a jerk than a little annoying brat."
"If you want to sleep in a nice, warm, dry house then I suggest you shut up and leave me alone!" Jetta yelled, "And if you don't drink that potion I'll shove it down your throat myself. It's not poisoned, so stop acting like it is!" Neron growled as he drank the potion and sat the bottle down on the table. Both boys were extremely silent and though they didn't want to say it, they were frightened of her at the moment.
"Are you going to take me or what?" Jetta asked as she tapped her foot impatiently. They were silent a moment longer before Riku got brave enough to speak.
"No means no Jetta," Riku said calmly, trying his best not to make it sound so harsh.
"Fine, you leave me with no other choice," Jetta said as she crossed her arms, "If you don't take me then I'll just have to tell as many people as I can about the other worlds and about these gummi blocks so they can go there."
"You wouldn't?" Riku asked, knowing that the face she was giving him was one hundred percent serious.
"Why wouldn't I?" Jetta asked.
"But that's blackmail!" Neron shouted.
"Tough" Jetta shouted, "You said I was a little annoying brat, so I'm going to be one until you agree on taking me. But be warned now, if you only agree to get me to shut up and leave me behind later on the price will be very painful, and trust me I can do painful."
"Oh really?" Neron said with a bit of smug confidence in his voice. Jetta walked over to him and held her hand out in front of his face. In an instant her hand lit on fire scaring Neron out of his mind as he tried to back away, but only succeeded in falling backwards in his chair. He landed with a thump and it took Riku a lot to stop himself from laughing at the poor boy.
"Okay, you can come," Riku said.
"Really?" Jetta asked in a non-believing tone.
"Sure, you've got a pretty cool talent, could come in handy during battles," Riku answered. Jetta's smile turned into a grin as she ran over a hugged Riku giggling happily.
"Thank you Riku!"
"Jetta, ow... that hurts," Riku said as he tried to ignore the pain that was surging from his back.
"Riku, are you still hurt?" Jetta asked as she pulled away quickly.
"A little."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Neron pulled himself up off the floor and glared at Riku from across the table. Riku could tell he was extremely pissed at him for letting Jetta come along, but he knew that this strange girl had some good fighting talent, and would be a big help against the heartless later on. Neron just didn't see that in her, or he was just afraid to admit it out loud.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author: Wow! I amaze myself at how long this chapter was. I'm so proud. ^-^ Oh and thank you so much Inuyasha's apprentice, I was actually thinking I was spelling things right. Kinda scared me cause I know I'm bad at spelling, LOL. It'd really help, a ton, if you'd tell me what I spelled wrong cause normally I don't catch my own mistakes.
Riku: I thought as much. This whole story's a mistake.
Sora: Now that wasn't very nice.
Author: ...Sora? o.O Where did you... *Glares at Riku*
Riku: *Smirks* Apparently Squaresoft doesn't give a shit about me, so I decided to bring Sora out here. That way you'll get in even more trouble.
Random person: Do you own Sora?
Author: *Glares* Did I not make it perfectly clear in the first chapter-
Riku: Prolog.
Author: Whatever! That I do not, I repeat, DO NOT own Kingdome Hearts. That includes Sora, Riku, or anyone else that Riku decides to drag to my house.
Riku: Does this mean I can invite more people over?
Author: Hell no!
Sora: *Whispering to the Random person* I think she's a little mad, so I'd be leaving if I where you. Girls are pretty scary when they're mad. *Random person flees the room*
Author: So anyway it looks like I got three new reviewers, cool. I suggest to anyone who happens to come along to go and check out the stories of both Inuyasha's assistant, and Mizutaka. I'd tell them to go look at your stories animefreak321654, but you don't seem to have any at the moment, but that's okay, I love ya anyway for the wonderful review. *Grins* Anyway, they've got some real good ones, and I mean real good ones, with Riku.
Riku: I feel so special.
Author: By the way, while it's still fresh in my head, the whole Sora losing his memory is something I read about on some website... forgot which one it was. If I remember I'll tell ya. So anyway, it said he loses his memory in the "Chain of Memories" game coming out on the GBA. I thought it would be fun to toss in that and have a little fun with Sora restoring his memory. *Grins*
Sora: Should I be worried? *Riku nods his head*
Author: *Sighs* Well, it looks like I've got to deal with not one, but two people now. *Mumbles* At least Sora's nice. Anyway, thanks a ton for the reviews you wonderful people. I hope to hear from you all again soon. ^-^
Sora: Have a nice day! *Waves as he bounces on Demon's bed*